IPOH, Sun. - Welcoming ASEAN members' pledge to abolish dadah
production in the region, National PEMADAM president Datuk Seri Megat Junid Megat Ayob
expressed hope that the agreement signed in Manila yesterday would be translated into
action. "We hope the agreement will not turn out to be just another agreement but a
commitment especially from Laos, Thailand and Myanmar." Megat Junid said this was the
first time that all ASEAN member countries, including those which are part of the Golden
Triangle, had jointly agreed to abolish dadah production and distribution. " Thailand
has taken stern action in combating dadah where all the poppy plantations in Chiangrai
have been replaced with cash crops, a move which Myammar and Laos have yet to undertake in
a systematic manner." "We hope with the agreement, the two countries will work
towards replacing the poppy plants with suitable cash crops," he said after opening
an anti dadah and AIDS seminar for students of institutes of higher learning in Perak.
About 400 students took part in the one-day seminar at the Perak branch of Universiti
Sains Malaysia in Tronoh, about 40km from here. Megat Junid said with the recent
agreement, especially that one which involved Myanmar which produced 60 per cent of the
world's supply of heroin, Malaysia's struggles to reduce the demand and supply of dadah
looked promising

News Straits Times ( 7 September 1998 )

How to go about being free of dadah abusers

STARTING September 1, all newly registered ex-dadah addicts will
be placed under police supervision for up to two years. Under the supervisory system, the
police monitor the movements and whereabouts of ex-addicts who are required to report to
the police station every month. This was among several provisions of the Drug Addiction (
Treatment and Rehabilitation ) Amended Act 1998 passed by the Parliament last December.
Prior to the amendment, the police were only involved in detaining dadah addicts and
sending them to rehabilitation centres. According to National Dadah Agency
director-general Datuk Bakri Omar, under the amended Act, the police - apart from
monitoring the progress of the former addicts - would also have to ensure that they abided
by rules. According to the agency, ex-addicts are not allowed to leave their district or
residence without police permission or to take, use or possess ant type of drug. Failure
to adhere to the provisions of the Act will render them liable to imprisonment and
whipping. This tough move by the Government is necessary to ensure the effectiveness and
success of treatment and rehabilitation programmes. it spends millions of ringgit annually
on treatment and rehabilitation but the success rate has been low with less than 20 per
cent turning over a new leaf. The majority of those released from Pusat Serenti after a
two-year stay became addicts again, primarily due to lack of willpower and community
support, and an inability to secure jobs. Compelling these former addicts to undergo
two-year pollice supervision will undoubtedly keep them in check and prevent them from
going back to dadah. Enforcing the amended Act will entail additional responsibilities for
the police force. They must, however, discharge their duties diligently and responsibly so
that the number of repeat dadah offenders can be reduced. To ensure effectiveness of the
treatment and rehabilitation programme, it is only appropriate that the rehabilitation
centres be classified into various categories, i.e. for hardcore, moderate and teenage
addicts. There should also be voluntary rehabilitation centres based on the community
approach. In the final analysis, working towards a drug-free Malaysia by the year 2023 as
projected by the Government requires more than rehabilitation. Rehabilitation should go
hand-in-hand with preventive programmes involving the home, society and the workplace. The
active roles of parents and the community are vital to ensure that addiction among youths
does not become more prevalent.

News Straits Times ( 24 June 1998 )

TOWARDS A DADAH-FREE MALAYSIA

OF late, the global and domestic efforts to fight the dadah
scourge came into spotlight. On the eve of the next millennium when mankind is striving
for a dadah-free world, the moves are both urgent and appropriate as the statistic are
overwhelming that dadah abuse is every nation's problem. In setting out an ambitious
10-year programme to fight the menace this month, the United Nation said more than 200
million people use dadah, from glue-sniffing street children to teenage Ecstasy users to
hard-core heroin addicts. One of the greatest challenges in the international fight
against dadah trafficking has for several years been the misuse of chemical products to
make dadah, including amphetamines and other synthetic dadah, said the UN Drug Control
Programme, architect of the global move. Malaysia has pledged support for the UN action
plan against the manufacture, trafficking and abuse of Amphetamine Type Stimulants and
their precursors. In view of the rampant abuse of Ecstasy pills and other amphetamine, the
country has made trafficking in these substances a capital offence with the recent passage
of amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act. This weeks' announcement that a module to equip
future teachers to deal with dadah problems in schools will be introduced in training
colleges next year, points to yet another move in the right direction. The subject will
not doubt make the dadah preventation campaign in schools more comprehensive. Hitherto,
teachers do not have formal knowledge in dadah preventation. at the school and even
kindergarten level cannot be overemphasized. Thus the Government's new 25-year plan to
produce a generation free from dadah abuse by the year 2023, deserves the support of all.
The two-pronged strategy to rid the country of narcotic drugs, from the house right to the
workplace requires the co-operation of the whole community. The idea is to have
preliminary prevention at the school level with a 15-year target to create a dadah-free
environment. The national-level prevention strategy entails having the home, society and
workplaces, such as factories, to help eradicate the problem. The oft-heard statement that
Malaysia's fight against the dadah scourge remains an uphill battle must not discourage us
from soldiering on towards a zero-dadah objectives. Granted that dadah abuse is still a
serious problem despite years of stringent laws and tough enforcement, there cannot be any
let-up in the national effort to stamp out this blight. Official statistics show there are
some 200,000 registered addicts. Last year alone, 17,342 were first-time offenders of the
36,284 addicts identified. That there had been a significant 25 per cent increase in the
number of dadah addicts and pushers nabbed by the police and other authorities in the in
the past two years should be sufficient to warn us that the problem will grow even worse
if we should slacken our vigilance. The active role of parents and the community in the
campaign to check dadah abuse is vital if the nation wants to ensure that addiction among
students and young workers does not become more prevalent. Of paramount importance is that
parents should not be a hindrance to the preventive measures such as urine tests on their
children as early intervention is vital for those who may be just starting to experiment
with dadah.

The Sun ( 28 September 1998 )

Report: Drug addicts on the increase

Petaling Jaya, Sunday: The number of drug addicts in Malaysia
increased in the first eight months of this year, the National Narcotics Agency ( NNA )
reported today. A survey has also indicated that youths account for the bulk of drug
addicts, with most of them being educated only up to primary school level. PEMADAM
vice-president Datuk Lee Lam They said that 14,507 cases were reported this year. New
addicts account for 9,546 and there are also 4,961 relapse cases. lee stated that Selangor
recorded the most cases this year with 2,016, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 1,928, Pahang
1,824, johor 1,620 and Penang 1,457. He said despite the significant increase in Sabah
with more than 500 cases, Sarawak recorded the lowest with just more than 20 cases this
year. From a survey conducted by the National Drug Information System, it is revealed that
more than 80% of the addicts in the country were aged between 15 and 35. The reports also
showed that 96.3% of the addicts had at least six years of basic education and 3.1% of
them started using drugs while in school. "PEMADAM is viewing this latest statistic
seriously since the current pattern of drug addiction is not showing a downward trend
compared with previous years," said Lee. PEMADAM believes that the only answer to
this problem lies in prevention. lee urged for priority on prevention by all anti-drug
agencies. "In this connection, PEMADAM is pleased to note that the NNA will implement
the Students' Resilience and Interpersonal Skills Development Education ( STRIDE )
programme in 61 primary schools nationwide this year," he added.

News Straits Times ( 16 March 1998 )

Dadah: Schools to get ' quick test ' kits

PEKAN,Sun.-The Education Ministry will soon supply schools
nationwide with quick test kits to weed out dadah addicts among pupils. The
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today the kits would enable schools to carry out
on-the-spot tests on pupils suspected to be dadah addicts. "If a test on a pupil is
positive, the school will arrange with the anti-narcotics agency for more tests to be
carried out. "This will confirm the entire result,"he told reporters after
opening the Pekan UMNO delegates meeting. Najib said pupils suspected to be dadah addicts
will be subjected to the tests and headmasters will exercise their descretion in the
matter. The National Anti-Dadah Council which supplies the kits is expected to prepare a
guidebook on conducting the test. Najib said schools should not be reluctant or afraid to
implement the test because it was only a preliminary test. "The question of the quick
test result being disputed or the possibility of legal complications does not arise.
"This is because only the result of the second test will be taken into account in
determining if a pupil is on dadah." Najib said the Ministry viewed dadah problem in
schools as serious but added that the number of pupils identified as dadah addicts was
"not that many". "We will continue to implement preventive measures and the
quick test has been identified as one of them." Najib said the quick test kits would
be supplied to schools in stages from this year. "For certain areas,we may place the
kits at the district education offices,"he said.

News Straits Times ( 25 May 1998 )

25-year strategy to curb dadah abuse

KUALA LUMPUR,Sun-In an effort to curb dadah abuse,the Government
will embark on a 25-year strategy,focusing their efforts on schoolchildren,in inculcation
values and awareness on the dangers of dadah abuse. "Our objective is to create a
dadah free environment by 2023,"Deputy Home Minister Datuk Tajol Rosli Ghazali said
yesterday. Describing the stategy as a double-pronge approach,Tajol pictured a scenario
where efforts in eradicating the dadah abuse would be focused on schools,home and
workplaces. The program is part of the Governments 25-year plan in eradicating dadah
menace.The Kampung Kerinchi low-cost housing estate was identified as an appropriate
scheme,as the similar campaigns nationwide due to the rampant dadah abuse in the area.

News Straits Times ( 15 May 1998 )

Curriculum on the prevention of dadah addiction

IPOH,Thurs.-The National Anti-Drug agency with the co-operation
of the Ministry of education is planning to draw up a curriculum on prevention of dadah
addiction in schools and institutes of higher learning. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Tajol
Rosli Ghazali said the proposed curriculum would include a comprehensive programme on the
prevention on dadah addiction which will cater for students from pre-school to
universities and other institutions of higher learning."By introducing such a
curriculum,the government hopes students will acquire self resilience factors and will not
get involved in dadah activities or other social ills,"he added. It has been noted
that the dadah addicts usually pick up their habits during their school days. Tajol said
after the closing ceremony of a colloquium on Self Resilience Development for 195 Form Two
students from Kedah,Perak,Penang,Selangor and Kelantan at Kem Gua Permai at the 23rd
Royal Malay Regiment here today. Tajol said 346 students nationwide were detected to be
dadah addicts based on their urine tests. He urged all schools in the country to give
priority to the drawing up of comprehensive educational programmes on the prevention of
dadah addiction.

The Sun ( 29 September 1999 )

538 students tested positive roe drugs:Ong

Shah Alam,Mon: Deputy Home Minister Datuk Ong Ka Ting says the
National Narcotics Agencys preliminary results on the urine samples taken from about
10,000 students nationwide showed that 538 have tested positive. "It is a surprise
that of this figure,70% are not from broken homes as popularly believed.In fact,they are
all schooling and have a working father and a full-time mother. "The tests also show
that 20% of them are without any disciplinary record in school," he said,but added
that this cannot be seen as proof of the entire situation in schools. The ministry is also
waiting for the test results from the Education Ministrys pilot project on drug
addiction in schools conducted early this year,he said after speaking of the role of JKKK
in the Safety of the Community and Country at a seminar yesterday. Ong said Selangor
recorded the second highest number of drug addicts with slightly more than 20,000 just
4,000 behind the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The first 6 months of this year
registered 9,526,averaging 53 first-time addicts a day,a 79% rise compared to the
corresponding period last year. "Drug addiction is still the countrys no.1
enemy.The majority of addicts,about 88% of youth aged between 16 and 19(8%) and 20 and
39(80%).Out of these 98.4% are males.